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NCAA Division 1: Eligibility Requirements

For high-school athletes enrolling in college full-time in 2023-24 and beyond: 

• Complete 16 core courses using pass/fail grades:
  • English: 4 years
  • Math (Algebra 1 or higher): 3 years
  • Natural/Physical Science (Including 1 year of lab, if offered): 2 years
  • Social Science: 2 years
  • Additional Courses
    • English, Math or Science: 1 year
    • English, Math, Sciences, Foreign Language, Comparative Religion or Philosophy: 4 years
• Core Course Progression: You must complete 10 core courses by the beginning of the senior year or the seventh semester. Seven of these 10 must be in English, math, or natural/physical science. This is known as the 10/7 rule.
• Earn a core course GPA of 2.3 or higher 
• Graduate high school
• Receive final certification on your amateurism status via the NCAA Eligibility Center

NCAA Division 2: Eligibility Requirements

For high-school athletes enrolling in college full-time in 2023-2024 and beyond: 

• Complete 16 core courses using pass/fail grades:
  • English: 3 years
  • Math (Algebra 1 or higher): 2 years
  • Natural/Physical Science (Including 1 year of lab, if offered): 2 years
  • Social Science: 2 years
  • Additional Courses
    • English, Math or Science: 3 year
    • English, Math, Sciences, Foreign Language, Comparative Religion or Philosophy: 4 years
• Earn a core course GPA of 2.2 or higher 
• Graduate high school
• Receive final certification on your amateurism status via the NCAA Eligibility Center

NCAA Division 3: Eligibility Requirements

NCAA Division 3 schools are responsible for setting their own academic eligibility rules. If you are going to be competing for a D3 institution, or if you are unsure what division level you’ll be competing at, you can start with a free NCAA Profile. If you do decide to pursue a D1 or D2 program, you can always transition to a Certification Account later.

NAIA: Eligibility Requirements

If you will graduate from a U.S. high school this spring and enroll in college this coming fall, the requirements are simple. An entering freshman must: Be a graduate of an accredited high school. Meet two of the three following requirements.

• Achieve a minimum of 18 on the ACT or 970 on the SAT.
• Achieve a minimum overall high school grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Graduate in the top half of your high school class.

If you do not meet at least two of the three standards as an entering freshman, you cannot participate in athletics for the first full year of attendance (two semesters, three quarters, or equivalent).

You can start the Eligibility Process for the NAIA at PLAYNAIA

Junior College: Eligibility Requirements

Junior colleges simply require that a student-athlete be a high school graduate earning an approved standard academic diploma. Student-athletes can also be eligible if they’ve completed an approved high school equivalency test, like the GED. Learn more about junior college eligibility rules at NJCAA.

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NCAA Eligibility Center

The NCAA Eligibility Center determines academic eligibility and amateurism status for Division 1 and Division 2 student-athletes. Student-athletes must understand and meet NCAA academic and amateurism requirements. Although the NCAA doesn’t ensure compliance, it allows collaboration with high school counselors and administrators to help students meet eligibility criteria, including course requirements, GPA, and timely transcript submission.

What type of NCAA account is right for you?

NCAA Certification account: Suppose you are actively being recruited at the NCAA D1 or D2 level or are very confident you will compete at that level out of high school. In that case, you should register with the NCAA and create a Certification Account.

NCAA Profile Page account: If you aren’t sure of your division level, you should create an NCAA Profile page to transition to a Certification Account quickly if needed.

How do I register for the NCAA Eligibility Center?

To register for the NCAA Eligibility Center, visit their site and allocate 15-30 minutes for the initial registration. For more details on how to register, visit the NCAA Eligibility Center Registration page.

NAIA Eligibility Center

The NAIA Eligibility Center, at PlayNAIA.org, is responsible for determining the NAIA eligibility of first-time student-athletes. Students must receive an eligible decision by the NAIA Eligibility Center prior to competing for the first-time in the NAIA, and all NAIA schools are bound by the center’s decisions. Every student interested in playing sports at NAIA colleges for the first time needs to register online with the NAIA Eligibility Center and receive an eligible determination. This applies to high school seniors and transfers from both two- and four-year colleges. 

You’ll need your current contact information, previous residences and addresses, high schools attended and history of your sports participation during and after high school graduation. When you register for the ACT or SAT, include the NAIA Eligibility Center (9876) on the list of places test scores should be sent. Ask your high school counselors to send a final, official transcript that verifies high school graduation, class rank and cumulative grade point average to the eligibility center through the NAIA High School Portal.